Iran nuclear talks seek to agree on framework

• The 3-day P5+1 and Iran talks in Vienna was aimed to clinch a deal on the framework document.

• All sides have made their proposals clear and seek to continue the negotiation, diplomats said.

• The six major countries hope to finalize a deal in July, as the interim deal would expire then.

VIENNA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 3-day P5+1 (China, Britain, France, Russia, U.S plus Germany) and Iran talks in Vienna was aimed to clinch a deal on the framework document which would conduct the negotiation in the future to end the decade-long dispute Iranian nuclear issue.

No document was finalized in the Iranian nuclear talks as of Wednesday, but all sides have made their proposals clear and seek to continue the negotiation, diplomats involved in the talk told Xinhua on Wednesday night.

"The negotiation goes on well so far" said an anonymous official, adding that though there was no agreement on any document yet, the talk was positive, as all sides have the political will to resolve the issue by diplomatic channel.

Iran's ISNA news agency said on Wednesday afternoon a draft negotiation agenda had been agreed but not yet finalized.

It seems that all sides are cautious about the details in the document which could be very decisive in the future negotiations to make a comprehensive deal over the Iranian nuclear issue.

It's not surprising that the talk has not yield concrete progress until now, as the Iran nuclear issues are complicated and long-term unresolved.

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton would leave for Brussels to attend an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers on the escalating Ukrainian crisis on Thursday.

The leaving of Ashton is viewed as a sign that the talks might be ended up earlier, without major progress.

The six major countries hope to finalize a deal in July, as the interim deal made in last November would expire then.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, also the Iranian nuclear negotiator, was cited by Iran's English-language Press TV state television on Tuesday as saying that any dismantling of Iranian nuclear installations would not be up for negotiation.

This might be a tough issue for the West, fearing that Iran might already technically approach the so-called nuclear threshold.

The West suspects Iran could use the 2,710 centrifuges installed in Fordow underground uranium enrichment plant, which could resist air strike, to produce enough fuel for a nuclear weapon if further enriched.

Additionally, the Arak heavy water reactor (IR-40) is another western headache, as it could yield weapon grade plutonium while feed by natural uranium.

In terms of the heavy water reactor issue, U.S. seems to welcome a flexible measure, which suggest modify the heavy water reactor to a light water reactor, as a senior U.S. offical welcomed the discuss of the modification at the eve of the first day talk in Vienna.

Experts said if the IR-40 is modified light water reactor, it would be difficult to produce weapon grade plutonium any more.

The 3-day talk is based on the interim deal agreed in Geneva last November, which Iran agreed to suspend some controversial nuclear activities while western states relief relevant sanctions on Iran in return, according to media reports.

TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it is unlikely to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement in a fresh round of talks with the world powers in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Iran does not expect immediate results from the new round of nuclear talks, which started on Tuesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. Full story

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, along with Germany, have sat down with Iranian officials for talks on Iran’s contested nuclear program. This is the first round of high-level negotiations since a landmark interim deal was made last November. But as CCTV’s Natalie Carney reports from Vienna, diplomats remain divided over what the long term deal should look like. Full story